Entertainment
Oscars 2026 best and worst moments

The 2026 Oscars was one to remember on Sunday, with Conan O’Brien returning for his second consecutive year as host and presiding over a night filled with so many surprise inside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
It was one of the most exciting nail-biters in recent years, as only one of the acting categories was predictable — best actress winner Jessie Buckley for “Hamnet.”
Going into the night, the other races were a toss up, including a best actor face-off between Michael B. Jordan and Timothée Chalamet, and a best picture race between “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.”
The “Best Supporting” actor and actress battles also had no clear frontrunners entering the evening, featuring Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Penn, Jacob Elordi, Teyana Taylor, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, and more. (Penn and Madigan ultimately won).
Here are the best and worst moments of the night.
Best – Conan O’Brien’s opening
O’Brien’s monologue had a nice blend of goofy jokes (“Between ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Bugonia’ it’s been a big year for movies that sound like off brand lunch meat”) and sharp zingers (pointing out how no British actors were in the Best Actor race for the first time in years, but, “a British spokesperson said said ‘at least we arrest our pedophiles’”).
He also got in a timely jab at Timothee Chalamet for the “Marty Supreme” star’s viral comments about opera and ballet (“I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities”). The host concluded with an earnest salute to films for celebrating “global artistry” and “optimism” during a fraught time in the world. The comedian hit all the right notes.
Worst – the Leo moment in the monologue
O’Brien’s only “off” moment in the monologue happened when he cut to Leonardo DiCaprio in the crowd, and commented on how the “One Battle After Another” star is frequently the subject of memes.
“Let’s make a new meme with Leo, right now! That feeling when you didn’t agree to this,” O’Brien said, as the text came up onscreen. Sure enough, DiCaprio didn’t look too thrilled.
The joke was weak, it felt like it was written by a member of O’Brien’s writing staff trying too hard to appeal to Gen-Z.
Best – Amy Madigan’s chaotic speech
Madigan took home her the first Oscar in her long career, for her supporting role as Aunt Gladys in “Weapons.” The actress, 75, went to the stage cackling like the Joker, then gave a rambling speech with amusing asides. Madigan, who wore a pantsuit, mentioned how she tried to come up with her remarks while she was in the shower shaving her legs. “And I’m wearing pants, so I didn’t need to do that!”
Did we need to know that? Absolutely not, but Madigan’s oversharing was charming. She wrapped up with a sweet nod to actor Ed Harris, who she’s been married to since 1983. “He’s been with me forever and that’s a long ass time!”
Worst – weird sound editing
The sound went haywire in several instances over the course of the night, including getting too aggressive in bleeping out the cursing. It notably happened after “Frankenstein” costume designer Kate Hawley took home the deserved Oscar for that category. When she gave her speech, she thanked, “My family who put up with a lot of sh-t.” The sound cut out for an overly long time, not just censoring the word “sh-t” but taking out an entire sentence of her speech.
Not only is it not cool, but it also draws more attention to someone dropping a curse word, rather than smoothing over it.
Best – Conan’s YouTube bit
O’Brien did a bit mocking how the Oscars will air on YouTube starting in 2029. As the comedian started saying “I’ve been assure they won’t change,” he got interrupted by a jarring fake commercial featuring Jane Lynch – mocking how YouTube ads often burst in, at inopportune moments.
The “commercial” faded out, and the Academy Awards host said “sorry about that, but like I said, I don’t think this will change the Oscars at all –” before Lynch interrupted with another fake ad. The bit was amusing, accurate, and didn’t overstay its welcome.
Worst – A rare tie
Kumail Nanjiani, who was presenting the category of “best live action short film,” paused as he was reading off the winner. “It’s a tie. I’m not joking, it’s actually a tie,” he said. There was a brief silence, as everyone wondered if this was a “La La Land / Moonlight” snafu.
The winners, “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” both gave speeches. In between them, Nanjiani improvised a solid joke on the spot (“Ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long!”)
A rare tie has happened six times in Academy Awards history. You’d think they’d build in some kind of fix to prevent such confusion from happening.
Worst – An anticlimactic end to the “Supporting actor” race
This year was an especially stacked “supporting actor” category. Hollywood veterans Stellan Skarsgard, 74, and Delroy Lindo, 73, have both been turning in great work for decades. Both have also been criminally under appreciated on the awards circuit, as both were first-time nominees. Jacob Elordi also gave one of the year’s best performances in “Frankenstein.” Any of them would be worthy winners. And yet, the choice was Sean Penn, who didn’t show up.
He’s won Oscars before, so there’s not much of an argument that it was “his time” over Skarsgard or Lindo. (And, his “One Battle After Another” character was cartoonish, so there’s not much of an argument that it was clearly the best among these options).
Kieran Culkin, who presented the award, quipped, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to,” and O’Brien later remarked on Penn being “a no-show.” For such a strong year in this category, it ended in a flop.
Best – the “in memoriam” tributes to giants
This year was an especially tragic year for losing giants of the film industry, including Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, and Robert Redford. The Academy Awards rose to meet the moment, astutely deciding not to group them in with the usual “in memoriam” montage. Instead, it gave each of them separate moments.
Billy Crystal, 78, came out to give a tribute to longtime friend Reiner. Referring to “The Princess Bride,” which Reiner directed and Crystal played Miracle Max in, Crystal said, “All we can say is, buddy, what fun we had storming the castle.” An assortment of actors from Reiner’s films then all stepped out onstage, including Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates, Jerry O’Connell, and Keifer Sutherland.
Rachel McAdams came out to speak about how Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton were inspirational to her. Barbra Streisand also came out to speak about Redford and sing, “The Way We Were.”
It was a sad but fitting tribute to lost pillars of Hollywood.
Best – the “Bridesmaids” reunion
Celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the hit comedy, the stars came out onstage, including Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, and Ellie Kemper.
Before presenting the nominees for “best score,” the actresses did a bit where they read notes “from the audience,” including a note supposedly from Skarsgard telling them that they all are “aging well,” and “all the things you’ve done to your face are very tasteful.” Byrne read a note supposedly from DiCaprio telling her, “can you please stop looking at me, the eye contact is too much.”
The actors gamely played along, with Skarsgard and DiCaprio smirking and gesturing, when the camera cut to them. The bit went on too long, as Wiig pointed out. Nevertheless, it was fun.
Best – “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes history
Arkapaw was the first woman to ever win the Oscar in the Cinematography category. The cinematographer, who is Filipino and African American Creole, was also the first woman of color to ever be nominated. In her speech, she said, “I’m so honored to be here, and I really want all the women in the room to stand up, because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys.”
The A-listers in the audience all complied, with all the women in the crowd rising to their feet, applauding.
Best – an exciting end to the “Best actor” race
Michael B Jordan took home the top prize, ending a nail-biter of a race in this category. At the beginning of this season, Timothee Chalamet was the frontrunner, winning the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. But, things shifted when Jordan won the Actor award, and the room gave him a standing ovation, demonstrating his support among his peers. Chalamet also got too thirsty with his campaign. Entering the night, this race was a toss-up.
In his speech, Jordan said, “I stand here because of the people that came before me,” and named several black Oscar winners, such as Sidney Poitier and Halle Berry.
Jordan also sweetly addressed his fans and friends, saying, “I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that, because you guys bet on me.”
Entertainment
Rachel Reilly wants ‘Survivor’ players to ‘steamroll’ on ‘Big Brother 28’

Rachel Reilly wants Dee Valladares and Rick Devens to succeed on “Big Brother 28” — even if that means “Survivor” players will have bragging rights for life.
Reilly expressed her support for the “Survivor” duo while speaking exclusively to Page Six alongside fellow “Big Brother” alums Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes to celebrate the latter show’s 1,000th episode airing Thursday.
“I kind of want them to steamroll it, because I feel like if Dee and Devens can outwit, outplay, outlast these people, and if they can win competitions and use their powers at the right time, I’m hoping that for future seasons if we do see another ‘Survivor’ player or if we see any more returnees, that we have more of an outright battle from the beginning,” Reilly shared.
The “Big Brother 13” winner noted that Valladares, 29, and Devens, 42, have been able to dominate alongside “Big Brother 26” alum Angela Murray thanks to some of the tattle-tale newbies.
“We see Drew [Campbell] and Barrett [Pfeiffer] this season going and reporting information to the ‘Icons’ — like what is that all about?” she said.
“So I think the fact that they’re able to outplay these people so easily… I give them props. You have to give it to the gamer.”
Reyes, however, feels differently.
“If you’re ‘Big Brother’ alumni, we do not want them to win,” the Season 3 runner-up told us. “We want to see them play the game, but we don’t want them to win because that’s our kingdom.”
“We don’t want them to come into our ‘Big Brother’ house and win, when we have this inner struggle of what’s the harder show, ‘Big Brother’ or ‘Survivor?’ So that’s where I stand in watching these two play this game.”
Haynes agreed she’s rooting against Valladares and Devens because of the unspoken “rivalry” between “Big Brother” and “Survivor” players.
“Winning both shows, which Dee the potential to do, that is something that has never been done,” Haynes told us. “So of course, there’s that piece of you that wants the ‘Big Brother’ person to be the first one to do it.”
Mixing veteran players with new contestants has happened before on “Big Brother,” including in Season 14, which saw Season 10 winner Dan Gheesling lose to newbie Ian Terry in a controversial jury vote that fans still debate today.
But Haynes, who voted for Terry to win despite being a returner that season, doesn’t think there will be as much resentment against the Season 28 vets.
“The difference was that sentiment was spread through the house the very first week,” Haynes explained. “I haven’t really seen the same type of communal uprising on ‘Big Brother 28.’”
Looking toward the future, Reilly, Reyes and Haynes all believe CBS should keep bringing players back in some capacity.
“I would love to see some of the more recent players come back and play against other people from other seasons, even sprinkling in some like really old-school players,” Reilly said. “I think that would be so much fun.”
Reilly added, “I think they could do a legends season for like three weeks or something like that. I mean, I would go for that. But for a whole summer, I would absolutely love to see a full All-Star season.”
Echoing Reilly’s opinion, Reyes name-dropped Season 2’s Monica Bailey and Season 3’s Lisa Donahue — who beat her in the final jury vote— as deserving returners.
“I would love to see Lisa play again. I think people don’t give her flowers for what she did,” Reyes explained.
“And I know people are like, ‘Oh, Dani, you should have won the game.’ But I would love to see Lisa come in and cement her legacy in ‘Big Brother. “I would love for them to give her a chance and to play the game again.”
“Big Brother 28” airs every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.
Entertainment
Dolly Parton remembered by military and veteran community for decades of supporting troops

Dolly Parton wore rhinestones and fringe, not a military uniform, but the American music legend spent decades finding her own ways to serve those who served America.
Parton, who died Tuesday at 80 in Nashville, forged a lasting connection with the military during her seven-decade career.
Her iconic blonde likeness appeared on US military aircraft, she performed for troops and military families, recorded patriotic music and once took the Grand Ole Opry stage as American service members watched from Iraq.
The connection was personal, too.
Carl Dean, Parton’s husband of nearly six decades, enlisted in the Army shortly after they began dating and served for two years, according to Biography.com.
The couple married in 1966, and remained together until Dean’s death in 2025.
Parton once described her patriotism in simple terms.
“I’ve got an all-American heart,” she told Vanity Fair in a 1991 profile.
Vanity Fair accompanied Parton to Fort Hood, Texas, for that profile, where she met service members, including soldiers who had returned from the Persian Gulf only weeks earlier.
The magazine also reported that Parton’s likeness appeared on a KC-135 and an A-10 Thunderbolt during the Gulf War era.
During her Fort Hood visit, Parton climbed onto the shoulders of an Army major near two M-1 tanks and delivered a pointed message to Saddam Hussein in a way only she could.
The latest news on music icon Dolly Parton’s death at 80
“Saddam Hussein, you son of a b—-!” Parton shouted, according to Vanity Fair. “You touch one of my men again and see what happens!”
Later, Parton posed for photographs with soldiers and their families and signed autographs inside a Fort Hood theater, the magazine reported.
The service members eventually began chanting: “Dol-ly! U-S-A! Dol-ly! U-S-A!”
More than a decade later, Parton’s connection with the military produced another memorable tribute.
At a September 2004 event at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tennessee, Parton unveiled patriotic nose art bearing her likeness on a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 134th Air Refueling Wing, according to an Air National Guard photo record preserved by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
The aircraft was dubbed “Miss Dolly.” Parton autographed the artwork and performed several songs for airmen and their families at the event.
The appearance followed the release of Parton’s For God and Country on Veterans Day 2003. The album combined patriotic standards with original Parton songs.
“I’m not a bit political, but I’m extremely patriotic,” Parton said of the album, according to her official website, as cited by Military.com.
Parton’s music had addressed war and military families before that album. Military.com noted that her 1970 song “Daddy Won’t Be Home Anymore” concerned a mother preparing to tell her children their father had died at war, while “Welcome Home,” from For God and Country, centered on a parent waiting for a son to return from overseas.
In April 2005, Parton performed during a Grand Ole Opry live broadcast in Nashville while US troops watched by video feed from Iraq, according to DVIDS.
Then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also joined Parton onstage. According to DVIDS, Rumsfeld visited Nashville to thank Parton, the Grand Ole Opry and the American people for supporting US troops.
Parton’s work with military families continued later in her career. She participated in a virtual USO program in December 2022 that allowed service members around the world and their families to speak with her and ask questions, according to Military.com.
Her Imagination Library also blessed military families. In 2024, the program’s Washington affiliate partnered with the Government Employees Health Association on a $15,000 grant to expand free books for young children in military families, Military.com reported.
The effort served families at Naval Base Kitsap, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Naval Station Everett.
The military community was among those mourning Parton following her death Tuesday.
Boot Campaign, a nonprofit that works with veterans and military families, remembered Parton’s support in a tribute posted to X.
“We are so heartbroken to hear of the passing of @DollyParton who used her platform to support so many, including Veterans, military families and our work at Boot Campaign,” the organization wrote. “Rest in peace, Dolly.”
The group accompanied the tribute with an image of Parton saluting while wearing camouflage pants and combat-style boots beneath the hashtag “#LaceUpAMERICA.”
The official US Marine Corps account offered an even simpler farewell Tuesday, sharing a photograph of Parton singing in camouflage.
“RIP Dolly Parton.”
Parton’s family said a small, private service will be held for immediate family at her request. Fans and friends around the world were encouraged to pay tribute to Parton on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at DollyParton.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the literacy program she founded in 1995.
Entertainment
Dolly Parton’s most iconic fashion moments
“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” Dolly Parton once famously said — but if you ask us, the country music legend’s personal style is downright priceless.
The 11-time Grammy winner died Tuesday at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy as big as her teased-to-the-heavens hair, as sparkling as the sequined stage looks she loved, and as colorful as the titular coat she sang about in 1971.
Below, a look back at Parton’s most iconic fashion moments from across the course of her six-decade career.
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